Introduction
Did you know that the first school dress code law was established in 1969 by the U.S. Supreme Court? Since as long ago was 1969, there has been laws that force students to change their clothing. A school dress code is a set of rules on how a person can dress. What they can and can’t wear in a school day. This is an important idea to talk about because its very diverse topic meaning that some people think we should have it and others don’t. Dress codes should not exist because they discriminate girls, are plain out ridiculous, and are they take away individuality and style. Dress code is unreasonable and totally unfair in so many different ways.
One of the main reasons school dress code is totally unfair is because they discriminate girls which in my opinion is very sexist. My first supporting point is, many school dress codes use gendered language such as, “ girls may not wear spaghetti straps or have their midriff showing. “ Why you may ask? Schools think that this is distracting particularly to male students. My next supporting point is, even my classmates agree. As my fellow classmate Isaiah Keller said, “ I do not find spaghetti straps distracting. I do not look at girl’s shoulders all day long. That’s weird. “ My other classmate Covy Wolmouth said, “ I do not find this distracting. Girls can wear what they want to the location they’re going. It’s their own opinion and their own style. “ My last supporting point is, they don’t target boys enough. I completely understand why schools have a dress code. Girls with their butts hanging out and cleavage showing is not okay but if your butt is not hanging out then it shouldn’t matter how short the shorts are. What about the boys who wear shorts, or show their shoulders? Most schools don’t say anything about that in their dress code. For some girls, sexualization can negatively impact their mental health. Forcing a girl out of her learning environment is distracting and can make them think that something is wrong with the way they dress. This is one of the main reasons why school dress code is totally unfair and discriminate girls.
The next main reason school dress code is totally unfair is because some of them are just plain out ridiculous. My first supporting point is that they don’t fit body types. In Duval County, Florida, Nikki Belsham said, “Take a tall, skinny 12 year old girl—her shorts may not pass this finger length test and would be considered inappropriate for school, even though her butt is covered and the shorts are relatively long. ¨ This girl she is talking about would get dress coded just because the way her body is made. She didn’t ask to be tall, she didn’t ask to have long arms. Again like in my first main idea, her butt is covered and if a shorter girl put on her shorts then they would somehow be considered allowed for dress code. Another supporting point is that they need to be more flexible with these rules. Enforcement down to the belt color is too much for some families, there is something to be said for the clarity of a restrictive dress code. If the belt is not there or has too much color or bling, you could get dress coded. That is ridiculous. Sometimes you have to work with what you got and if you´re required to wear a belt everyday, then it shouldn’t matter what it looks like. The last supporting point is that they target minor stupid things and not major big things. Given the attention the Confederate flag has received lately at the national level, the school should view the banning of symbols as not just offensive from a racial standpoint. I understand it´s freedom of clothing but something like the rebel flag has a whole history behind it. Banning shirts because they have skulls on it is ridiculous but something like a racist flag is understandable. Some people would oppose to this idea and say that dress codes have to be stricts so kids will listen and follow them. That is incorrect because if dress codes are reasonable and fair then kids would be more open to the idea about dress code. If you keep pushing it to the limit and screaming at the kid for it, then they aren’t going to want to follow it. This is the second reason why school dress code is totally unfair and are just plain out ridiculous.
The final main reason why school dress codes are totally unfair is because they take away individuality and style. My first supporting point is, they don’t give us freedom. Being able to wear what you want is part of a person’s right to freedom of speech. In America, we have laws that state that we have freedom of speech. We fought for our freedom. Being able to choose what you want to wear is apart of that freedom. When you are old enough to pick out your own clothes in the morning then that’s when you are old enough to decide on what is appropriate to wear and inappropriate to wear to school. My second supporting point is that they cut off of createability. We live in a dynamic society, full of unique people. Cutting that off at a young age only makes you more less unique in the future. If a child/teen has a big creativity then what they wear reflects that personality. Forcing people to change that personality makes them less unique and more boring. It can change them forever for the future and the way they dress. My last supporting point is that it they stop us from finding out who we are. Forcing students, especially younger children, to wear uniforms or change clothes destroys their personal identity. Children are the future. We are the highlight of this generation. We are also still trying to find out who we are. In mid high school is when you should start thinking about your career path. High School is when most teens find out who they are. What you wear ties to your personality. Your personality is apart of your identity. If you are forcing someone to change the personality that they were born with then that could often make them lost in life and have trouble finding out who they are. Clothes make you unique and what you wear is who you are. This is the third main reason why dress codes are totally unfair and take away individuality and style.
Conclusion
Dress code should not exist, they discriminate girls, are plain out ridiculous, and are they takes away individuality and style. Dress code is unreasonable and totally unfair in these different ways. They discriminate girls by using gendered language, my classmates even agree, and that they don’t target boys enough. Some are ridiculous because they don’t fit all body types, they are not flexible with families that are poor, and they target minor stupid things and not major big things. They take away individuality and style by not giving us freedom, they cut off of createability, and they stop us from finding out who we are. School dress codes are messing up student’s life. We shouldn’t be ashamed of what we wear or who we are. Let’s help put a stop to school dress codes before it’s too late and we all become the same boring person.
